1980 Renault 14 TS 1.4 petrol
Summary:
A modern looking design for its time, let down by poor longevity
Faults:
Main problem was the carburettor becoming clogged on multiple occasions, resulting in the imobilisation of the vehicle. The gearstick clamp connecting to the gearbox also snapped.
The exhaust flange mounting bolts both sheared, resulting in the exhaust falling off.
Also, the electrics were extremely unreliable, and the car was very prone to rust.
General Comments:
This was my first car, so it was cheap and bought when it was already well past its best, which may have accounted for the many problems that I experienced - it developed a fault every 6 weeks or so, and broke down completely on a couple of occasions.
The handling on the bends was also poor, and I found that only I was able to drive the car without stalling it - everybody else who tried to get it to move stalled the engine literally after a few meters. Probably needing a knack to keeping it going without stalling was something else symptomatic of an aged vehicle.
On the plus side, it was comfortable, as far as I can remember, and was easy to mend without expensive tools. I should know, as I was working underneath it on a number of occasions.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 5th October, 2008
19th Dec 2022, 11:49
Father had one of these back in the day. We had carburetor problems too, other than that it was pretty good for a 1970's/1980's car to be fair.